We all want to live a life of freedom. To be happy and joyful regardless of what life throws at us. But living a life of perfect health can sometimes be a challenge. Whenever things start to go our way, something always comes up.  That is just life, and the real challenge is how we react to these situations. And when this occurs, especially when it comes to autoimmune disease, do you stay positive, or do you fall into a victim mentality?

Resilience has become a buzzword in the health and wellness community, but also in the autoimmune community, especially when dealing with psoriasis, with those who have accepted their diagnosis but are still working hard to get better. This blog post is a call to action for my fellow autoimmune warriors to remember the impact of resilience and self-love when it comes to our mindset.

Resilience is a critical part of both the journey to healing any autoimmune disease, and life in general. It helps you cope with the challenges and setbacks you will face every day, allowing you to keep going when things get tough. 

How does resilience help heal autoimmune diseases?

Psoriasis is an extremely unpredictable autoimmune disease. It is not always bad, but when it is and if flares up, things can quickly spiral out of control. So, it is vital to have a few coping mechanisms in place to navigate the choppy waters of psoriasis. Regardless of the type of psoriasis you have, knowing that you can always keep trying new methods, medications, and treatments until you find what works best is gold. This blog is here to show you how resilience can impact your mindset.

As we head into summer, if you have psoriasis, you may feel self-conscious about wearing more revealing clothing as the weather becomes warmer. So, just how do you become more resilient when your skin flares? How quickly can you shift your mindset and move forward to adjust to whatever life has thrown at you.  It can be your skin flare, family, job, or other health issues, you get it.  Focusing on progress, not perfection, is a major step forward.

The important thing here is to be realistic and honest with ourselves. By setting realistic goals and expectations, we’re also setting ourselves up for success. If you thought you could completely heal your autoimmune disease practically overnight, but if after a few weeks or more of trying everything under the sun you still see no results, how would you feel?

If you’re like most people, chances are you’d be disappointed, and you’d eventually become so tired that you’d, ultimately, give up and stop trying altogether.  This is where resilience comes in.

Why should you train your resilience muscle?

Resilience is a key ingredient in the journey to healing psoriasis or any autoimmune disease or other chronic condition. When faced with the challenges of this chronic condition, resilience helps keeps us going. It is what gives us the strength to try new treatments, even when they haven’t worked in the past. It helps us to keep searching for ways to calm skin, even when hope seems lost.

Without resilience, it would be easy to give up and accept defeat. But with resilience, we know that anything is possible. Each day brings us one step closer to managing and calming the itchy, scaly, painful skin of psoriasis, until a cure is found.

Moreover, so many of us have gained weight over the past two years during the pandemic (I know I did) as if it were our second dreaded Freshman 15 of our college days. Yet, understanding that we can face more challenges is the way to go. And here’s where resilience comes into play, and instead of throwing the towel, you start to:

• Improve your diet: Here you can find a free guide on how to live an anti-inflammatory lifestyle.
• Exercise more often
• Prioritize your sleep
• Check-in with your doctor or autoimmune coach (a coach like me)
• Protect your mental health and cultivate a growth mindset

How does resilience work?

Resilience is the ability to overcome emotional pain caused by destabilizing events or trauma. Developing a good sense of self-esteem and self-confidence can help achieve resilience, this is a skill that can be developed at any stage of life.

Although it won’t happen overnight, resilience will become the driving force behind your actions, whether improving your diet, sticking to an AIP diet, exercising, or regularly checking in with your health coach. You may fall out of schedule or your protocol every once in a while; you’re only human! But resilience will keep you going and help you regroup and keep moving forward.  So, instead of quitting, you continue to work hard to improve your psoriasis symptoms.

How to become more resilient?

Like any other habit you want to build, resilience is no different. To get used to a new, healthier habit, you need to repeat it every single day for at least one month. Habits are no more than new neural connections in your brain. But these connections don’t happen overnight, so you need to be patient.

However, once built, the connection may not be strong enough. Think of your neural pathways as a cable. You need to make the cable stronger if you do not want it to break over time. According to studies, it takes anywhere between 30 and 66 days to build a strong habit.  Hint: try pairing a new habit with something you already do every day.  An example might be doing squats or another simple exercise while brushing your teeth in the morning.  Get creative here for ways to make tiny positive shifts.  It will be easier to remember and keep it up with consistency.  Huge Win!

Tips for building resilience:

• Be adaptable: Resilient people understand that everything is subject to change, so they feel comfortable adapting their plans as needed.

• Learn to unwind: When you take care of your mind and body, you can better deal with life’s challenges, especially with autoimmune diseases. Create a good sleep routine or try relaxation techniques like breathwork or meditation.

• Gain self-awareness: Don’t allow negative thoughts to derail your efforts. Instead, practice positive thinking regularly by focusing on your self-talk when something goes wrong.  Put sticky notes everywhere with positive and inspiring words!

• Learn from your errors:  Every mistake can teach you something valuable, so look for the lesson in every challenge.  Everything is a learning opportunity!

• Keep things in perspective: A crisis may seem overwhelming at the moment, but it may not have a long-term impact. Try not to magnify its importance.

• Work on your self-esteem: Resilient people are confident that they will succeed in the end, despite the setbacks. This belief also allows them to keep moving forward.

Final Thoughts

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that affects more than 7.5 million people in America alone. For some, it can be especially uncomfortable during the summer months. However, those who live with psoriasis know that there is hope and help out there, especially if you stay positive and RESILIENT. ​

I hope this article has helped you realize how resilience can help in your journey towards healing psoriasis. If you would like to learn more about how to improve your psoriasis, I encourage you to Download My Free Guide and Follow Me on Instagram so you can stay up-to-date with the latest tips and tricks to treat psoriasis!